Balance of Souls: Relapse
Part 1 Silbern, , . Evening. The hours had passed by slowly. Roshan spent his time multitasking, coordinating the contingents of that remained within Silbern and meeting the requests sent out by Anders from the perimeter they had now set up in the . When he wasn't doing that, he was forced to be Vitor's aide in instructing their guest in the Quincy arts. It was the price Roshan had to pay for making the old man break what he considered sacred traditions that should never have entered the hands of anyone not sharing their blood, but that in itself was the price they had to pay for Hikari Maebure's cooperation. The throne room was a mess, its floors covered in glowing blue sigils, silver-white liquid stains, and empty Gintō tubes, as well as the occassional parchment here and there. Though Vitor would be loathe to admit it, Hikari was an exceptionally quick study, which made the practical training easy, if not the ideological part. "It is done, then", the old man affirmed whilst overlooking a complex sigil embedded into the floor, its shape was flooded with a perfect flow of in liquid form, a faint light rising from it in a rather soothing glow. Vitor sighed heavily before ascending the small steps in front of 's absent throne, the only way to assure he would be taller than Hikari in the act that was to come. "You have learned of the Quincy arts, its history, and its foundation, but to truly use it, you must be Quincy", the elderly man spoke with reverance for his teachings but obvious dislike for what he was now doing. "Kneel before me so that I might bestow upon you a piece of our king". The Tsumikami stood tall in front of the elderly Human, his face frozen in a solemn expression. However, the ceremony reminded him of an important event from his distant past, and a smirk lurked in the corners of his lips for a short while. "Oh, the irony", he said quietly as he was kneeling. Vitor looked to Roshan who had procured a white sakazuki cup, the Wandenreich's symbol emblazoned within. It was something that always got Roshan to chuckle, the poor saps that designed the Wandenreich's implements clearly had a crippling fetish for their symbols, he would think to himself every time. The cup was filled with water, until Roshan drew a small blade over one of his fingers. A few droplets of blood causes the liquid to turn a muted and discoloured red. The regent brought the cup to the elderly man who took it in both hands, where it loomed above Hikari for a moment. "You really gotta make me do it?", Roshan complained while he examined his pricked finger, like a child over a skinned knee. "It is the role of the king to impart schrift through his blood", Vitor replied without delay, like they'd done this song and dance innumerable times. The old man drooped low, placing the cup before the Tsumikami intended to drink it. A few moments of old rites passed and a cane passing over the Hell-beings shoulder as if he was being knighted. "I bestow upon you, the letter Y, now drink and let that be the end of it", the old man withdrew from his perch in front of Hikari to take a seat elsewhere in the room where as Roshan had already returned to resting himself against whatever wall was sufficiently flat to be considered comfortable. "If it was me, I'd have just chucked blood and let you be on your merry way, but the old geezer insisted", he joked. Maebure drank the blood silently, his scarlet eyes, sharp features of the pale face and long canines disturbingly evocative of a vampire. Then, he stood up with gravitas appropriate for the situation and his formerly noble status. He began regarding his hands, feeling the peculiar beverage coursing through his body. "You have kept your word", he stated calmly. "I intend to live up to my end of the bargain as well." "No need to overwork yourself, pal", remarked Roshan with some degree of sarcasm. "You already held up your part, Lurch is chaperoning my kids while they go play pachinko", he referred to their journey in passing with metaphor, though his cheery tone made it difficult to discern if he was simply being vague because he could or if he was purposefully skirting a series topic. Vitor, nonetheless, scoffed at his choice of metaphor, "Please, at least pick something a little more dignified than parlor games", his aged voice complained. "Alright, I'll go for shogi next time", the man shrugged in response. As if to follow the swaying tension in Roshan's muscles, the room suddenly darkened in atmosphere, the same feeling entering each other minds. It was a moment later that the instruments Timothy Jones setup caused a series of alarms to blare at full volume through out the icy fortress, but its point had been moot, even the weakest of the spiritually aware could feel the presence that had just entered Soul Society. Roshan silently pushed himself from the wall and began making his way towards the exit, Vitor joining him. "You're welcome to stick around, of course", he said last with a dismissive wave of his hand towards their guest. Hikari stared at the man's back with his eyes narrowed in a sinister expression. Then, he followed him unhurriedly. Part 2 The Rukongai Defense Line, . A defensive perimeter had been set up in preparation for an attack by the Balancers of Souls. Soldat were moved in, barricades and equipment were setup and the s living there were flushed out elsewhere in the meantime. The defense was centered around four points, a wall in each of the cardinal directions, each of them set in the 45th Rukongai of their respective districts. The 45th Southern Rukongai, Kōon (高音, High-Pitched Tone) was in the care of Ho-jin Kwon. Atop a roof on one of the few buildings on the outskirts of this district were three Quincy, two of them at with their backs to the expansive forest that covered the wild parts of the area whilst another faced it. He was a young man, with bright bronze hair. He stood tall on his own two feet, his goggles and beret held loosely in his right hand. His head cocked back slightly as he breathed in a grand intake of the spiritually charged air. Then he snored. Upon hearing this, one of the Quincy left their perch to march over the rickety tiles of the building, delivering a powerful smack of a gloved hand to the sleeping Soldat's head. "Adonai, you retard, we could be attacked at any moment!", he screeched at the top of his lungs. "Ow, ow, ow!", jumping awake, Adonai was quick to cover the afflicted spot with both hands, whilst he shifted around comically as if to ease the pain through dance. "I'm sorry, Donner, its just, all this waiting around made me kinda sleepy", he apologized, though the tear in his eyes and the goofy grin he flashed left Donner feeling... unappeased. Their complaining could be heard across the other rooftops and emplacements used by the Wandenreich forces, at the same time a yellow field of energy took shape amongst the trees that had gone unobserved. It took physical form, going from a yellow panel to an ethereal door that slid open to reveal several individuals sharing a uniform and wielding a variety of blades. Two similiar looking women, differentiated from the masses by the plates of armour they wore, stood at the front. One of them held out a rather large sword, its edge covered by a sheath. "By the book, everyone, cut them down to the last", she commanded. "Of course they had to come here", grumbled Kwon from his position. The Sternritter was observing the arrival of the enemy from a moderate distance, hidden in an alley between two huts. There were a few Soldaten accompanying him, their stance and Reiatsu signatures indicating apprehension and readiness. "You know what to do", continued Ho-jin, this time activating a small device that allowed him to communicate with the local detachment of troops, spread around the sector. "Shower them with arrows, maintain distance and lead them into chokepoints. Rinse and repeat", he commanded. Subsequently he raised his left arm outstretched, a small Quincy cross dangling from a chain he was holding in the hand. The trinket flashed as it summoned the Sternritter's spiritual weapon, an elaborate, metallic bow with frame in the shape of a hexagon. "Get ready", he whispered, peeking at the Balancers from behind a corner, his bow glowing with charging energy. The Balancers flooded in from the forest to attack, flinging themselves at the Quincy's position with reckless abandon. Casualties became immediately evident, for both sides. The three man squad at the front were an easy target, with Donner having been cut down by a tall woman cleaving through him with a pair of axes, she continued swinging like a cross between a maddened berserker and a spinning top, almost delivering the same fate to Adonai before being engulfed in blue light. "T-that was close", said the last member of Adonai's squad, his Spirit Weapon formed over his shoulder in a form resembling a cannon or rocket launcher. "Yeah... thanks!", Adonai gave thanks amidst getting rid of the lump that formed in his throat from shock. He formed his own Spirit Weapon in hand, a pair of trench knives, before giving his surroundings a clear look. They were surrounded by hundreds of Balancers that were rushing beyond them to strike at the more numerous positions, all that was driving them was a need for carnage and bloodshed. Another Balancer landed on the house, and again they were sweeped off in the blue light of the Soldat's Spirit Weapon. "Cover me Adonai, I need time to form Heilig Pfeil", he yelled as yet another arrived. Adonai was quick to leap to action, his knives cutting through the Balancer's neck in an instant. "Hey! Did you se-", he was cut short by a fist impacting his ribs and the subsequent force that launched him through the air into a nearby house. He let out a single yelp before the building collapsed on top of him. The lone Soldat's expression was undiscernable from behind his mask but his attempts to recline from his position made it clear he was scared. His weapon had yet to charge, and it didn't really matter as he began to feel a crushing weight atop his shoulders causing the building to collapse beneath his feet. He hit the floor and activated Blut Vene in order to protect himself from whatever came next but the strength of his defense did little to impede the sword that pierced his throat. "...Sorry", said Fang as she looked at the man dying under her blade, a pained expression clear on her face. Appearing on a roof adjacent to her was Zhang, clearly annoyed by her sister's apologetic demeanour. "Stop apologizing, they're the enemy Fang", she stated before drawing her eyes to the front in search of an enemy. "Yeah... Sorry", Fang said again causing her sister's gaze to squint in annoyance. Fang leapt from the lower level, flipping onto the roof rather dramatically, to land in front of her sister her bload soaked sword already pointing ahead of them. "The strongest guy is over there", she stated with no hint of doubt. "How do you know?", her sister questioned with skepticism. "I don't suck at everything you know", Fang replied, puffing up her cheeks defensively. The duo vanished from view as they took to using Shunpo. A fair distance away, Ho-jin's position had yet to be struck as the battering ram that were the Balancers attempted to force their way through the more cunning positions taken by the Quincy. Then he was faced with a loud screech of metal rushing through rock as two swords on either side of him pierced through the wall he had been using for cover, they drew inward like a pair of guillotine's with the intent of splitting him in half. "Son of a...!", the Sternritter exclaimed, nearly caught off-guard. He leapt away with the use of , his squad following suit with a slight delay. With no further word spoken, all of the Quincy aimed their bows at the building and unleashed a volley of Heilige Pfeile that utterly demolished it in an instant. *** The 45th Eastern Rukongai District, Kanekane (钟鐘, Bell Chime) had been placed under the care of Carmen Abandonato. Like the other districts, its fortifications had been built through out the streets, the houses were emptied and used as the Wandenreich saw fit. The Quincy largely stuck to the ground in the district, hidden behind their manmade barricades, they sat on a rotation set up by the commanding Sternritter, an efficient intake of Reishi that let them keep whatever they needed at the ready without draining even the rich environment of Soul Society. They had eyes in a few rickety watchtowers that dotted the area, observing all of the possible entry points that the Balancers could have. Their eyes only got sharper when they began to feel the presences in the South. A two-story house had been procured as the base of Carmen's operations in Kanekane, its lower floor had guards posted and the upper floor was where she dwelled. It remained relatively untouched from its prior family-housing setting, though a table in the center of the room had its chairs filled by the unusual forms of two Arrancar. Porcelian cups resting in front of them with steaming hot tea filling the contents. "Drink up Cielo-kun, Redención-kun", chirped the Sternritter with a voice of sugar and teddy bears. The two Arrancars rather uncharacteristically glanced back at the Sternritter, not replying to her words. Meanwhile, the forces of the Detention Corps were advancing in a slow and purposeful manner. Marching through the deserted alleys were grim and stalwart warriors. Even though not nearly as numerous as the Interdiction Corps, they were strong, disciplined and relentless men and women, former guardians, seasoned and hardened after decades and centuries of maintaining high-security prisons and performing duties in the Hell itself. Whilst not trained for regular warfare, they were more than competent at subduing powerful and devious opponents. And in the absence of Mamoru Nakatani, Marshal of the South and their supreme commander, they were led by Colonel Ren Nakatani, the loyal Major Máo Yǒng ever at her side. "Disgusting", commented Nakatani with a frown on her attractive, yet firm face. "This is what happens when people of Earth attempt to overthrow the Heaven. We shall put them in their place... in Hell." Soon afterward, the Balancers began halting. There was a period of ominous silence. "They are waiting for us, Milady", pointed out Máo Yǒng, the focussed gaze of his cold eyes seemingly piercing through the buildings and barricades which stood in its path. "Of course", replied the Colonel with a hint of irritation. "They are attempting to defend themselves from trained defenders. I know exactly what they plan. Balancers, prepare to fire the first barrage!", she yelled toward her men dispersed across the area. The troopers did not reply, for no reply was necessary. Instead, they promptly began making gestures and drawing ethereal symbols in the air, preparing ancient Kadō spells. Ren and her deputy joined them in the unusual ceremony. Soon, there were numerous glowing marks of fire suspended in the air all around the district. "Fire!", commanded the Colonel. Countless large fireballs burst forth into the air with a defeaning roar nigh simultaneously. However, their upright flight was short-lived, as the fiery projectiles soon reached the apex of their trajectories and subsequently started descending right on the foremost positions taken by the Quincy. As the spells descended, two loud booming noises came from out of the main building, a fair distance away, two figures suddenly appearing as the fireballs descended. "Wish we could of finished our tea first.", the first individual with the remnants of a mask on his jaw said. "The tea was shit Cielo, plus I know ya wanted these guys to come sooner.", his partner replied, his left eye covered by an ivory white and blue mask remnant, the circular eye hole showing nothing but darkness. "You're right Redención, ah well, too bad I guess.", Cielo sighed in response, throwing his arms up in defeat before looking towards the army of enemies that stood before them. "FIRE!", a repeated command. Numerous squad leaders amongst the Soldat delivered the orders to their men and in short order the words bore fruit. Careening skyward were an onslaught of blue arrows of all shapes and sizes, rising to meet the firestorm that descended upon them. The sky was alight with ignitions, several fireballs had exploded as did many of the arrows. Some were extinguished, and the sturdier ones simply rolled through them, breaking the spiritual fletchettes like twigs as they continued on the warpath. Though the brunt had been stunted, several of the flaming orbs still hit their mark, igniting fortification and housing alike and some of the white-clad soldiers with them. Standing outside of the building she had been using as a command post, Carmen observed the chains of fire in the sky whilst finishing off her own cup of tea, quickly pawning off the empty mug onto a nearby Soldat once she had consumed its contents. "What a pity, they didn't even finish", Carmen spoke to herself, feigning a mix of disappointment and bemusement. "They are professionals, Milady", commented Máo Yǒng whilst observing the display of lethal fireworks in the sky. "I know", responded Ren with a frown. "Balancers, prepare for the second barrage!", she commanded shortly. This time, rather than fire spells individually, the troopers assembled into teams of six. Then, each unit started a collaborative effort, every member performing the same gestures in nearly perfect unison with the rest. The Balancers weaved with their arms and jutted their palms with their fingers outstretched, all of them aimed at a single point above them. Subsequently, each group launched a large fiery serpent, Zunōka Akudō, homing Kadō spells directed at the places from where came the greatest resistance to the first barrage, as they did so, a returning barrage of not only arrows but rectangular silver blocks of Reishi flew up to meet them in the air, with the faster arrows uselessly bouncing off the fireballs, the powerful Gintō spells met with the Kadō spells previously fired by the Balancers, the large silver blocks of Reshi managing to crash into the fire snakes, seemingly causing them to explode in midair, however as they did, numerous more snakes erupted from the remnants of the last and resumed their descent. "I wonder if the Soldat have even bothered moving yet?", Cielo mused, before he could properly mock the Quincy Soldat, Redención leaned over and tapped the other Arrancar on the shoulder. "I would if we should move yet?", Redención mockingly replied, pointing at the number of fiery snakes that had broken off from the rest, attracted by the two Arrancar's Spiritual Power. "Shit.", Cielo replied as the two of them used Sonido to move up high in the air, the snakes quickly changing direction to follow. "Huh, wasn't 'spectin' that.", Redención admitted calmly, shifting his weight to the side to move out of the way of one of the snakes that had locked onto him. "Why the hell are you so calm?!", Cielo shouted at his partner, more bemused than angry at the Arrancar's tranquility, using Sonido once again to dodge one of the faster snakes that zoomed past him. The serpentine trail of red exploded as it passed the Arrancar, bursting into streams of light across the area. It had found its way to a recently arrived Carmen, who seemingly prevented the fire-snake's advance with little more than the raising of an arm. It dispersed shortly after, the woman drawing a thumb across her lips as if signifying that she had just devoured the apparition of spiritual energy. "Boys, would you be so kind as to not leave our front line in tatters?", she asked of the two Arrancar, with a trailing voice filled with what could only be described as a severe longing. Beyond them, the great number of snakes had obliterated those Quincy fool enough to continue the previous barrage, the fortifications were in tatters and fire was the only solace in an air carrying little more than the screams of the dying. The first line of defence had been breached. "Máo Yǒng, take your detachment and advance", Ren ordered her companion, a predatory smile outstretched on her face. "Yes, Milady", the man replied and subsequently vanished with the faint sound of Shunpo. The teams located to the south followed the Major, forming a company-sized unit. The Balancers charged with speed that was shocking in comparison to their earlier slow advance. Using Shunpo to travel fast, they reached the ruined barricades and surviving Quincy in no time. "Wú Lanfên, assemble your detachment and charge!", Nakatani commanded soon afterward. "Yes, Milady!", responded the second Major with fervour. The tall, muscular woman with short grey hair plunged forward, her team and many others positioned to the north following suit. Whilst Máo Yǒng's group was drawing attention of the remaining enemies, Wú Lanfên's strike force stormed from a relatively distant location, throwing the Quincy in further disarray. The Soldaten, recovering from the barrage and distracted by the enemy charge were suddenly assaulted by yet another company of ruthless warriors. "Balancers!", shouted Nakatani as she was drawing her twin . "Trample them!" This time the Colonel herself leapt onward, a platoon of Balancers escorting her into the thick of battle. Speeding through the narrow alleys and demolished buildings, Ren was exerting her spiritual senses in an attempt to detect the largest spiritual pressure signature amongst the enemy ranks, that is, their own leader. "It seems the big bad underling has decided to make her self more obviously known.", Cielo noted, ignoring Carmen's words once again as he looked at the distance where the Balancers were before looking at the fiery remains of their defences. "Well, let's not disappoint em' then shall we, let's shift partner.", Redención suggested, drawing his blade in anticipation before suddenly being stopped by Cielo. "As much as I would love some ultra-violence and nothing more at the minute, we have to remember, there are also other powerful ones commanding smaller units, I feel it would be best if we tried getting rid of all of them so that our beloved Soldat don't get destroyed.", Cielo explained, Redención grumbled slightly at the other Arrancar's point. "God dammit, well I guess that's fine I guess, I bagsy the most powerful one though ya hear!", Redención demanded, a small grin was painted on his face as if he just won a competition. "Then I call dibs on him", having felt out the spiritual energies of those Balancers invading the area, Carmen was able to toss a finger in a direction and easily point out Máo Yǒng's presence. "He looks... Mmm", her voice trailed off as she playfully bit into her lower lip. Even though Yǒng was the first to lead an assault at the ravaged enemy lines, his methodical approach slowed down his advance. Meanwhile, Lanfên busted through the remnants of the defences and defenders alike with inhuman brutality, quickly catching up with him. Their troops were independent enough to act of their own accord, so the commanders could focus on taking out strategic targets. And the two detected three such targets not that far in front of them. Without communicating in any noticeable way, the Majors began a joint attack. First, Lanfên grabbed one of the two heads of her , aimed and thrust it forward with incredible force, launching it like a cannonball right at the three strong Quincies. At the same time, Yǒng spun his long with spiky links and swung it in a broad, sweeping motion. Together, the composite maneuvre was intended to force the enemy to split up, if not tear them apart. Part 3 The 45th Northern District, Kyōkai (警戒, Siren), under Catalina Vargas, had erupted into chaos, the Interdiction Corps having washed across it like a swarm of angry locusts in search of an overdue harvest. The streets erupted in fire, both blue and red, as the Balancers and Quincy clashed on the ground and in the sky. The Colonel Ksenija Gregorovich led the assault, clashing blades with a particularly boisterous Arrancar. The fight was overwhelmingly one-sided with the Arrancar doing little more than staving off attack after attack as she continually pushed him back. "That... all ya got!?", he taunted after a particularly hard blow. The strike of her sword having caused his spear to pulsate in his hands with intense vibrations. "I'm sorry, allow me to step things up a little", she replied with a smile and a rather disarming tone of voice. She moved quickly, faster than he could follow, grabbing his hand with her own only to raise him off the ground and throw him at a nearby building. The force of the swing was enough that he crashed right through the stone and into the interior of the place. She was prompt to follow, entering the confines of what happened to be a rather large warehouse-like establishment. "Do it now, Emya!", the Arrancar called out with a surprising amount of energy. A great deal of rattling erupted from behind Ksenija as a large series of plates fell into place, covering up the broken wall. "I got a friend I'd like to introduce you to", the Arrancar laughed, shrugging off whatever injuries he'd sustained in the previous encounter. It had been a ruse. Suddenly, a large, glowing web burst forth from the darkness behind the Balancer, spreading out as it was approaching her with considerable speed. The Colonel, breifly surprised by the abrupt ambush span around on her heel and used Shunpo to move out of the web's way, reappearing on the opposite side of the room she was in, her face was strained, not with physical exertion, but out of her thinking. "I wonder...", she murmured quietly, mostly ignoring the threats she was presented with, "What if I blasted you on top of the building, that would of probably halted your plan but in that case you could of crashed right through which would of put us in the same situation we're in now...", Ksenija continued, seemingly off in her own little world as she pondered the numerous different possibilities or outcomes that could of been made. As she was pondering there was a period of utter silence in the spacious, dark room. Sources of light were scarce, and the numerous pillars and containers spread across the area were further diminishing her field of vision. Just as planned. There was a sudden movement behind the Balancer, and an extremely tall and slender silhouette emerged from the blackness. It carried twin s, each of them held in reverse grip as they were speeding toward Gregorovich's back. The nameless Arrancar that had facilitated the current conflict was quick to make himself scarce, slinking into the shadows where his body evaporated into the black. Feeling the small distortion in Reiatsu behind her, Ksenija hurriedly dodged out the way of the attack once again with Shunpo, reappearing in midair before landing quietly a small distance away. "Ah, sorry, I must of gotten lost in thought. I'm guessing you are the friend of that other Soldier I fought earlier?", she asked in an inquisitive manner, looking at the dark silhouette, trying to make the individual hidden by the darkness out, however, she was unable to do so. The peculiar being leant forward slightly, a shimmer of light illuminating him. He was a giant man with atypically thin, elongated body, wearing the standard uniform of a Soldat complete with a cap with the Wandenreich's logo emblazoned on its front. However, he kept the high collar upward, wore a pair of sunglasses instead of goggles, and did not have a mask. At least, not a normal one, for there were two bony, mandible-like protrusions framing his face. He too was an Arrancar. The features of his face were sharp and somewhat disproportional, with high cheekbones and a squarish jaw. Even though his stiff expression indicated extreme concentration, there was a smile lingering on his unusually wide and thin lips. Then, they were outstretched in an unnerving grin. "Tsk-tsk", uttered the man as he retreated with an unnaturally fluid motion and vanished in the darkness behind. Silence. There was residual Reiatsu spread across the warehouse, but little more than the ambient level of the Soul Society, not something that could be used to track the Arrancar's location. With the poor lighting, the Balancer could not observe his movements. Nothing was happening for several tense seconds. Suddenly, a burst of s erupted from the blackness, the incredibly fast projectiles aimed more at Gregorovich's side than back this time.